Harvey Street Takes Somerville By Storm

Harvey Street, the five-piece indie rock group, visited the Boston area for the first time at the end of June, and we were thrilled to welcome our favorite band. Before their performance, Pleaser spoke with the group to talk about tour, their upcoming album and their growing connection with their fans.

PHOTOS BY PAMELA IVANOVA

It's summertime in Somerville, Massachusetts, and what better way to welcome the whimsy of the season than hanging out in a basement with 200 of your soon-to-be closest friends? Nothing, I can tell you. Pleaser Magazine had the pleasure of meeting up with Harvey Street before their Boston debut at The Rockwell, and their charm and care for the craft of creating music was apparent within moments. Welcome to the world of Harvey Street. 

The five band members, Jerome Bermudez (lead vocals, guitar), Jackson Reed (lead guitar), Finn Ulrich (bass), Erich Kronschnabel (keyboard) and Josh Burgess (drums), met in Raleigh, North Carolina during their college years at North Carolina State. What started as a small project playing covers at frat houses on campus evolved into the one album and two EPs Harvey Street we know and love today.

With their upcoming album, teased with the March 6 EP Insomnia, the band explained that their writing process was concise and intentional. “I think the longer you work together as a band, the more comfortable you get writing with each other. You learn not only how to play music together, but how to collaborate and communicate with one another. 
And I think that's been on another level with this album,” Burgess explained. While the upcoming album, currently unnamed, is not technically their debut album, the band has not previously released a record with songs intentionally written for a full composition. Their first album Great Escape, released May 15, 2025, was simply a compilation of EPs and singles that had already been released, bundled into one package.

Throughout the making of all their music, Harvey Street has used the same producer and studio space in their journey to have consistency in their process. What’s not consistent? Where they’ve been living the past few years. After being based in North Carolina, the band decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee in August of 2025. Reed explained that from August 2025 through June 2026, the band relocated to Nashville. While there, the band was busy playing shows, getting acclimated to their new home and trying to find moments to make music between the chaos. Two days before their Somerville performance, the band moved back to North Carolina.

PHOTOS BY PAMELA IVANOVA

Many of the songs on their upcoming album, which Pleaser was told will hopefully be released in the first half of 2027, are inspired by the moments the band experienced in Nashville and their transition to, from and in the city. They felt pressure to create in the midst of one of the busiest seasons of their lives, and had a nervous excitement living away from their home state, but overall, they were just having the time of their lives playing their music for fans. 

“Whatever life brought to the table back then was the inspiration behind the album,” Reed said. 

Further, “We’re trying to channel content and sound that the band really attaches to best as opposed to trying to write for a certain purpose or listener.”

Their listeners, though, do have one thing in common: their love for Harvey Street. At their show in Somerville, the crowd was electric. Unable to contain their excitement, the crowd burst open with applause before they even took the stage. A warm welcome for the guests of the hour. At one point, the audience even started cheering “USA!” in response to the World Cup (I assume). While the origin was unclear, the chant was surprisingly a good vibe. Crowds of this nature are always my favorite: unruly in their enthusiasm but quaint enough to not overwhelm the senses. 

Our evening in Somerville was far from the first time Harvey Street has interacted with an audience. The Talk it Out Tour, which started on May 27 in Washington D.C .and will close out on August 1 in Appleton, Wisconsin, is the band’s fourth headline tour. Between D.C. and Appleton, the band will reach the Mercury Lounge in New York City (one of my all time favorite venues), Globe Hall in Denver, Colorado and Lincoln Hall and Schubas in Chicago, Illinois. They’ve reached 22 states across the South, Northeast and Midwest.  

Aside from their own tours, the group has supported many Pleaser favorites, like Flipturn, Arcy Drive, Winyah, and Moon Taxi. Through it all, their relationship with their fans has been of the utmost importance. They explained that they adore meeting fans on the road, deeming themselves as approachable and kind (I whole-heartedly agree). Meeting fans at the merch table, taking pictures and taking the time to learn about the lives of their audience are just a few things they do to develop real relationships. 

As Burgess said so eloquently: “We want to create a space where people feel comfortable and safe. That's something that we can directly affect by talking to fans individually. We're just people too, trying to figure life out.”

While connecting with their devout fanbase has its perks, the guys also love to meet first timers. I asked the band what songs they would recommend to new listeners, and the first suggestion I got was “Free Myself,” a rock driven anthem released with Great Escape. Another commonality among those of us looking for love, the song examines what it means to fall for someone who is not falling back. Revelations about letting these feelings go are presented throughout, with the titular line “free myself” indicating that, maybe, it's time to let go of the one-sided romance. Or, maybe not. We’re not here to judge. The chorus belts what could be juxtaposed with what should be. Will she let him go? 

Say goodbye to me or get high with me

I know your momma don’t need you home

Say good luck to me or run away with me

But you never want to have more 

It’s probably time, that I should free myself

PHOTOS BY PAMELA IVANOVA

Live, the boisterous, bouncing crowd mellowed. The message is delivered in a cadence that allows for true consideration, which, for a set littered with numerous opportunities to dance and rock out, this interlude was welcomed. Still, in Harvey Street fashion, the chorus did require headbanging, but in a more subdued fashion. 

One of the other suggestions I heard was, “I’m Your Line,” a September 2025 single release that was grouped into the latest EP release and will be part of the upcoming album. Rather sweetly, the track iterates a partner or friend who is an unwavering support system. Reed said that he particularly enjoys the groovy guitar melody (with a special shout-out to Jerome for writing it.) “It’s so groovy, it's such a feel good song. It’s about helping out a friend in a time of need, which, I think, is really in line with the whole Harvey Street theme.”

“I’m Your Line” was also the final song on Harvey Street’s Somerville set list. The opening is sort of a beach vibe, with high guitar chords and a swinging melody. The drum kicks in next, bringing the song to life with a heartbeat all its own. We swayed, we sang and we brought it all home. Thank you, Harvey Street, for a night to remember.